Seven Samurai (1954) | Directed by Akira Kurosawa | Shot by Asakazu Nakai | Starring Toshiro Mifune, Takashi Shimura Shot over one year with a budget that nearly bankrupted Toho Studios. Kurosawa invented the wipe transition—George Lucas copied it directly for Star Wars. He used multiple cameras simultaneously (revolutionary then) so editors had options. The rain was dyed with ink to read on black-and-white film. The mud was mixed with ash for contrast. At 207 minutes, studios begged for cuts; K